burg; the 8th article establishes a senate at the Hague, and another at Hamburg.]

Art. 9. The cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Bremen and Lubeck are included among the good cities, the mayors of which are present at the emperor's coronation oath.

Art. 10. The junction of the Baltic sea shall be effected by a canal, which, commencing from that of Hamburg to Lubeck, shall ⚫ communicate from the Elbe to the Weser, from the Weser to the Ems, and from the Ems to the Rhine.

a

The above senatus consultum was adopted at the extraordinary sitting of the senate on the 13th of December.

Project of an Organic Senatus Consultum.

Article 1. The pension of king Louis, in his quality of French prince, is fixed at an annual revenue of two millions, and constituted in the following manner, to wit:

1. The forest of Montmorency, the woods of Chantilly, of Ermenonville, of the isle of Adam, of Cope, of Pontarme, and of Lys, to the amount of an annual revenue of 500,000 francs.

2. Of the domains existing in the department of the mouths of the Rhine, to the amount of a nett annual revenue of 500,000 francs.

3. An annual sum of one million out of the general funds of the public revenue.

Art. 2. After the decease of the prince, so pensioned, and on account of the disposal made by his Imperial and royal majesty of the grand dutchy of Berg, in favour of the eldest son of the prince, the pension, with the exception of the part consisting of an annual revenue of one million out of the public treasury, which shall be and remain extinguished, shall pass to the second son of the said prince, and shall be transmissible to the legitimate male descendents, until the extinction of the line, in conformity to what is established by the second section of the 4th title of the act of the constitutions, of the 19th of January, 1810.

Art. 3. The pension constituted by the present senatus consultum shall be subject to all the charges and conditions established by the act of the constitution above cited.

PARIS, DECEMBER 14. Papers relative to a negotiation which the Dutch ministry attempted to open with the British government in February 1810.

No. I.

THE KING TO HIS MINISTERS.

GENTLEMEN,

For six weeks that I have been with the emperor, my brother, I have been constantly occupied with the affairs of the kingdom. If I have been able to efface some unfavourable impressions, or at least to modify them, I must confess that I have not succeeded in conciliating in his mind the existence and independence of the kingdom with the success of the continental system, and in partiVOL I. APP. † M

cular of France against England. I am assured, that France is firmly decided to annex Holland, notwithstanding all considerations, and that she is convinced that the independence of the latter cannot be prolonged if the maritime war continues. In this cruel certainty, there remains to us only one hope, that is, that a maritime peace may be negotiated: that alone can avert the imminent danger which threatens us; and without the success of those negotiations, it is certain, that the independence of Holland is at an end; that no sacrifice can prevent her fate. Thus, it is the evident and declared intention of France to sacrifice every thing to acquire Holland, and thereby augment, whatever it may cost her, the means of opposing England. Doubtless England would have every thing to fear from such an augmentation of coast and navy to France. It is then possible, that their interest may induce the English to avert a blow which would be to them so disastrous.

I leave to you the care of developing this idea with all the energy which will be necessary to make the English government fully sensible of the importance of the step which remains for it to take. Represent to it in the strongest manner all the arguments and all considerations which shall occur to you. Make the overture in question, as from yourselves, without mentioning me in any manner. But there is no time to lose. Send immediately some safe and discreet person to England, and send him to me as soon as he shall return. Let me know at what time that will probably be; for we have no time to lose; we have but a few days. Two corps of the grand army are marching towards the kingdom; marshal Oudinot has just set out to take the command of them. Let me know what you shall have done in consequence of this letter, and on what day I may have the reply of England.

No. II.

Instructions given by the Dutch Ministry to M. Labouchere. The object of the commission with which, at the request of the undersigned, M. Pierre Cesar Labouchere is charged, is to apprise the government of England, that in consequence of information received by the Dutch ministry, and which has every appearance of authenticity, the destiny of Holland, that is to say, the maintenance or the loss of her political existence, depends upon the disposition which may exist on the part of the English government to conclude a speedy peace with France, or at least to make a real change in the measures adopted by the said government, in relation to the commerce and navigation of neutrals.

The said Sieur Labouchere is consequently to repair with all possible despatch to London, where, in the manner and by the means which he shall find most suitable, he will endeavour to bring the above mentioned state of things to the knowledge of the English ministry and of every other person who can contribute to the attainment of the object proposed; and he shall be permitted, in case of need, to make known that he fills this mission with the consent of the Dutch government, which, in consequence of the

authenticity of the above mentioned information, stating, that without the change referred to in the system of England, the loss of the independence of Holland is absolutely inevitable, was of opinion that it ought to disregard all considerations and difficulties, in order to attempt every thing which may serve to maintain the political existence of the country.

He will further endeavour to make the English government perceive how important it is to England that Holland should not fall under the sovereign dominion of the French empire, and that 'she should always remain an independent power. He will employ, to prove this assertion, all the arguments which the matter itself will furnish him with, and which are known to him.

If he finds the English government convinced, or succeeds in convincing it of this truth; he will endeavour to engage it to contribute to the maintenance of the political existence of this country, by acceding promptly to the commencement of negotiations for a general peace, or at least in case such negotiations cannot be speedily commenced and concluded, by giving satisfactory assurances of her intentions to make some changes in the system adopted by the English orders in Council of the month of November 1807, and in the measures which have been the consequence of them.

He is above all to lay stress upon the latter object, in order, he will say, to oppose the eagerness of France to occupy HollandHe will add that in case a relaxation or a change of the above mentioned system should be adopted, it may be hoped, that besides the non-occupation of Holland, the war, while it should continue, would take a new turn and one less disastrous than for the last three years, and that there would result from it a greater probability of an accommodation, inasmuch as there would then be no motive for the emperor of the French to continue the Berlin and Milan decrees, which his imperial majesty made solely in consequence of the orders of the English council in November 1807.

If, however, the English government, after having listened to these intimations, makes a difficulty of explaining itself on the subject definitively, before being positively informed of the intentions of the French government: he is to require of the English government to declare, whether it chooses that its resolution to accede to negotiations for peace, or at least a change in the above mentioned orders of November 1807, is to depend on the above intimations, and also, in particular, on the evacuation of Holland by the French troops, and on the reestablishment of every thing in the state in which it was before the last invasion of Zealand by the English, adding such other conditions, upon which the said government may conceive it ought to insist, before acceding to the measure proposed, in order, that thus sure pledges may be had before making known to it the intentions of the French government.

Whatever may be the answer of the English government to his representations, provided that it do not exclude every hope of attaining the proposed object, and that circumstances permit, he will prolong provisionally his stay in London, and, in the mean time, he

will send to the undersigned, as speedily as possible, and by the safest way, a particular account of all his proceedings, of the answers that shall be made to him, and of every thing relating to his mission.

However, if after receiving a reply to the overtures made by him he shall find it necessary for the success of the affair, to be himself the bearer of that reply to his majesty the king of Holland, he shall be at liberty to do so; but in that case, though his majesty may still be at Paris, he shall make his voyage to Holland, and shall by no means proceed from England directly to France.

In conclusion, it is particularly recommended to him to observe the most profound silence respecting the whole affair, as well as the greatest prudence and discretion in the execution of the commission confided to him.

Amsterdam 1st February 1810.
(Signed)

VANDER HEIM,
J. H. MOLLERUS.

Translation of a note of verbal communication from the marquis Wellesly to M. Labouchere 12th February, 1810.

The unhappy situation of Holland has long since given birth in this country to sentiments of interest and compassion, and those sentiments naturally increase at every addition to the calamities to which Holland is a prey; but Holland cannot expect that this country should sacrifice its own interest and honours.

The nature of the communication which has been received from M. Labouchere, scarcely permits the smallest observation to be made respecting a general peace, it does not even furnish a motive for repeating the sentiments which the English government has so often declared on that subject. It may nevertheless be remarked that the French government has not manifested the least symptom of a disposition to make peace, or in any manner to depart from pretensions which have hitherto rendered unavailing the willingness of the English government to terminate the war.

The same observation may be applied to the conduct of the French government in the war which it is making against commerce; a war in which it was the aggressor, and which it carries on with an obstinacy which does not relax for a moment. It is without reason that in the note delivered by M. Labouchere, it is said " that the English orders in council occasioned the French decrees against neutral navigation and commerce; the orders in council were not the cause, but the consequence of the French decrees. The French decrees are still in force, no measure has been taken for their repeal. It is by no means reasonable to expect that we should in any manner relax from the measures of self defence which our safety requires, and which can shelter us from the attacks of the enemy, because he himself suffers in consequence of the measures which he has taken, and yet testifies no disposition to relax in them.

[No signature.]

No. III.

Account given by M. Labouchere.

LONDON, 12th FEBRUARY 1810. The undersigned having received from their excellencies the ministers, orders to repair immediately to England with written instructions, for the purpose of communicating to the English government the situation of Holland; and of intimating to it the methods which appeared most likely to avert the fate which threatened the country, instantly proceeded to the Briel. He arrived there on the 2d of February, departed from thence on the 3d, landed at Yarmouth in the evening of the 5th, immediately set out for London, and arrived there on the evening of the 6th. On the morning of the 7th, he requested an audience of the marquis Wellesley, minister of foreign affairs, which was granted to him on the same day, at half past five o'clock. After having communicated to his excellency the tenor of his instructions, and thoroughly discussed the principal question, he left the minister, having received a promise that he would lay the communications before the council, and would acquaint him with the result.

Not having received any intimation from his excellency until the 11th, the undersigned addressed a few lines to the minister, requesting him to enable the undersigned to give some account or indication of the ideas and disposition of the English government, by a conveyance which then offered. In consequence, he received, at twelve, an invitation for the same day, at nine in the evening, at which hour he went, and received an unofficial communication without signature, of which a copy is annexed.

In this new conference, the conversation turned upon the degree of probability which might exist in any case, that these first steps, whatever might be the conduct of the British ministry, would be followed by pacific sentiments on the part of France; and especially on the inconvenience which would arise to England from admitting the principle, that having once taken measures of reprisals, as the minister denominates them; those measures must of necessity cease with the causes which produce them.

It appeared that the English ministry attaches infinite weight and importance to these same orders in council, which form the immediate object of the overture of the government of Holland, and that, whether France concur in that overture or not, the ministry is convinced, that there is no means more efficacious in weakening the resources of France.-In fact. those measures appear to form the fundamental basis of the system upon which the present ministry founds all its principles and every part of its conduct, and it would appear that, so long as the war shall continue, it is only from a change of ministry that we may expect other measures and other views.

The minister then stated, that while, on the one hand, it was extremely uncertain whether any declaration or even concession on